University takes a big step to combat drug use on its campus

Buckingham University aims to be the first ‘drug-free’ campus in the country

In a new policy change announced by its vice-chancellor Sir Anthony Sheldon, Buckingham University is making it mandatory for newly enrolled students to sign a contract pledging that they will not consume any illegal substances while on the campus.

This initiative is part of a crackdown on drug use at the uni, that already makes use of sniffer dogs as part of its policy. The Vice-Chancellor says he hopes to make Buckingham University Britain’s first “drug free” campus in plans that he laid out in a Daily Mail column on Sunday.

Figures released by the National Union of Students showed that over a survey of 3,000 students, found that 56% of young people admitted to consuming illegal drugs at some point, with 39% stating that they were current drug users.

The vice-chancellor called it “insane” that drug use in universities was allowed to continue. “I asked myself what kind of moral leadership university leaders were providing in colluding in the mass consumption of illegal drugs on our premises,” he stated in the column.

He then ensured that the university would avoid expulsion as a response to breaking of the drug policy, and instead would seek a more compassionate route. He wrote that students that needed it would be offered help and support, however repeated breaches of the policy would result in termination of their place at the university.

This news comes as last week, Sheffield University came under criticism for giving students information about how to safely use drugs on its website. It gives advice such as how long to wait before ‘redosing’ safely and to never inject with a needle alone.

This information is given out by the Student’s Union section of their site and comes as a response to the death of one of its students last year, after an ecstasy overdose at a club night.

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